Measuring and dispensing mechanism for tacky tape



March 9, 1954 J; w. ALDRICH 2,671,271

MEASURING AND DISPENSING MECHANISM FOR TACKY TAPE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledFeb. 11, 1950 (Ittomegs March 9, 1954 J. w. ALDRICH 2,671,271

MEASURING AND DISPENSING MECHANISM FOR TACKY TAPE Filed Feb. 11 1950 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Mar. 9, 1,954

MEASURING AND DISPENSING MECHANISM FOR TAOKY TAPE John W. Aldrich,Woodbury, C0nn., assignor to Derby Sealers, Incorporated, Derby, Conn.,a corporation of Connecticut Application February 11, 1950, Serial No.143,763

'7 Claims. (Cl. 33-131) 1 This invention relates to tape-dispensingmachines and, more particularly, to a device for dispensing tape whichis adhesive or tacky upon one surface.

In devices of this type it is desirable to be able to dispense pieces oftape of measured length, and in the present instance this result isaccomplished by drawing the tape from the supply roll with its tackysurface in contact with a measuring roll. The movement of the tape overthe measuring roll effects rotation of the latter and, by adjustablylimiting this rotation, the length of tape dispensed may be accuratelymeasured.

Also in the present machine a severing blade is provided against whichthe tape is drawn to be severed and, when the tape is drawn over thesevering blade, it is removed from contact with the measuring roll topermit the latter to be reversely rotated and return to its originalposition ready for a subsequent operation, this reverse rotation beingeffected by a spring provided for that purpose.

It has been found that in some instances an additional length of tapewill be drawn from the supply roll when the tape is moved against thesevering blade and, therefore, moved out of contact with the measuringroll. This is particularly true with a low tack tape where the tackysurface is such that it does not adhere strongly to the underneath layeron the supply roll. This drawing of an extra length of tape from thesupply roll during the severing operation is due to the pull of theoperator upon the tape during the severing operation, and to theresistance of the stripper member to movement toward the knife, thisresistance requiring a stronger pull on the tape to move it against theknife. This will, of course, provide a longer length of tape thandesired and interferes with accurate measuring of the dispensed length.

In the present instance this disadvantage is overcome by the provisionof a brake roll so placed that its surface will be in contact with thetacky side of the tape between the supply roll and the measuring roll.Moreover, the parts are so disposed that the tacky surface of the tapewill also be in engagement with the brake roll even when the tape ismoved away from the measuring roll and moved against the severing blade.The engagement of the tape with the brake roll will provide anadditional drag upon the tape resistin its being drawn from the supplyroll so that the operator will not inadvertently draw an additionallength from the supply roll when moving the tape against the severingblade.

Also, this brake roll is frictionally held against rotation by a springadjustable as to its effective strength so that a drag will be placedupon this roll so that it will tend to remain in the position to whichit is moved and, therefore, offer some resistance to the drawing of thetape thereover and prevent overrunning of the supply roll.

In some instances where an extremely low tack tape is employed, it isnot convenient to place the brake roll in a position to give the tapesuflicient contact therewith and, in such case, a guide or idler rollermay be provided, as will be hereinafter described, to increase the wrapof the tape around the brake roll and, therefore, increase the area ofcontact of the tape with this roll so that there will be sufiicientlyresistance to the drawing of the tape from the supply roll so that thiswill not be done inadvertently.

It will be understood, however, that the present improvements are notlimited to a dispensing device having a measuring roll, but may beapplied to any tape dispenser in which the movement of the tape towardthe severing means tends to draw the tape from the supply roll.

One object of the invention is to provide a new and improved device fordispensing tape which is tacky or adhesive upon at least one surface,the tape being dispensed in measured lengths.

A further object of the invention is to provide a tape-dispensingmechanism having means for measuring and severing the length of tapedispensed and also having means for preventing an additional length oftape being inadvertently drawn from the supply roll during the severingoperations.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a tape-dispensingmechanism having a measuring roll which is adapted to be engaged by thetacky side of the tape, and a brake roll disposed between the measuringroll and the supply of tape, which brake roll is also in engagement withthe tacky side of the tape to prevent overrunning of the supply roll orthe inadvertent dispensing of a length longer than that desired.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tape-dispensingmachine having a measuring roll in contact with the tacky side of thetape, and a severing blade so disposed that the tape is disengaged fromthe measuring roll during the severing operation, which machine shallalso be provided with a brake roll with which the tacky side of the taperemains in engagement after the tape is drawn away from the measuringroller.

To these and other ends the invention consists in the novel features andcombinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a tapedispensing mechanismembodying my invention, a portion of the housing being broken away toshow the interior mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view from the side opposite that shown inFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of the device, some parts being shownin section;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with some parts being broken away andshowing the measuring elements in a different position;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 1 showing the parts inanother position;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on line 5 5 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of a modified form of my invention.

To illustrate a preferred embodiment ofmy .invention, I have shown inFig. l of the drawings a tape-dispensing mechanism comprising a standardlil on which is rotatably mounted by the pin or screw l i a casing orhousing [2 having a removable cover l3. Rotatably mounted in the casingis a roll holder or reel l4 upon which the supply roll of tape [5 ismounted.

The casing may be provided with an .arcuate opening l6 adapted toreceive a screw clamp I! mounted in the standard vIll so that the casingmay be rotatably adjusted about the standard and secured in any adjustedposition.

The casing i 2 is provided with an opening 19 through which the free end20 of the tape is drawn and adjacent this opening a measuring roller 2|is rotatably mounted in the casing, which roller is adapted to engagethe tacky side of the tape.

The shaft 22 of the roller 2| extends through the'wall of the housing or:casing [2 into an auxiliary housing 23 and secured to the extended endof this shaft is a pinion 24, the teeth of which are in mesh with theteeth of a measuring gear 25 rotatably mounted in the auxiliary housing23. The gear 25 is provided with an arm 27, which arm is normally heldagainst a fixed stop '28 on the housing 23 by a spring 29, one end ofwhich is secured at to the housing and the other end of which is securedat 3| to the gear, so that this measuring gear normally stands in thedotted-line position shown in Fig. 2.

The auxiliary housing 23 is provided with a rotatably mounted cover 33provided at its-center with a knurled collar 34 by which it may berotated and is attached to the housing by the screw '35 received withinthe collar 34. This cover is of disk-like form and its edgeextends'below the edge of a knurled screw 36 threaded into the housingso that it may be clamped in 'any desired adjusted position between thescrew 35 and a. shoulder 31 (Fig. 4) upon which the cover rests. Thecover 33 is provided with an inwardly projecting'stop 38 which projectsinto the housing 23 and stands in the path of :the arm 21 so as to limitthe rotation 'of the measuring gear '25 in a counter-clockwise directionas shown in Fig. 4.

The cover 33 is also provided with indicia 40 upon its outer surface,which 'indicia cooperate with the nut '35 to indicate the length of tape'being dispensed. .As has already been explained, the abutment 28 limitsthe movement of the arm 21 and, therefore, of the measuringgear 25 in aclockwise direction, as shown inEi'g. 32, which is the starting position'of the parts. The

plate 33 may be rotatably adjusted, when the screw 36 has been loosened,to any desired position to set the pin 38 at a point to limit themovement of the arm 2'! in a counter-clockwise direction to the properposition to dispense the desired length of tape. It will, of course, beunderstood that as soon as the tacky side of the tape has beendisengaged from the measuring roller 2| so that this roller is free torotate in a reverse direction, the spring 29 will return the measuringgear 25 to its starting position and also return the roller 2| to itsoriginal position through the engagement of the pinion 24 with the gear25.

A severing blade 4| is mounted on the casing 12 above the opening [9against which the tape may be drawn to be severed, this blade beingnormally guarded by a guard member 42, the free edge of which standsforwardly of the cutting edge of the blade. The member 42 is pivoted at43 to a stripper 44 and the front edge portion of this stripper bearsagainst the non-tackyside of the tape and normally holds the tapeagainst the measuring roller 2|. The stripper member 44 is secured to orformed integrally with a guide plate 45 slidably mounted in a guidebracket 46 secured to the housing, and .a spring 4'1, secured at one endto a leg of the bracket 46 and at its other end to the plate 45,normally maintains the stripper member in its forwardpositionshown inFig. l. The guard 42 rests upon and is uided by a laterally extendingpin 42 so that it is normally maintained in the position shown in Fig.1.

In the operation of the machine as described above, the parts arenormally in the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. The operator maygrasp the free end .of the tape .and draw it from the supply roll incontact with the roller '21, as shown in dotted lines in this figure.When the measured length has been drawn from the roll as determined bythe engagement of the arm 21 with the adjustable stop 38 (Fig. 4) theoperator may then draw the free end of the tape upwardly against thesevering member 4|, as shown in Fig. 5.

As will be seen from the'latter figure/this draws the tape away from themeasuring roller 2| and permits the parts of the measuring mechanism tobe returned to their original positions by the spring 29. Also thecontact of the upper side of the tape with the stripper 44 serves tomove this stripper rearwardly as shown in Fig. 5 and, therefore, movethe guard 42 rearwardly to ex pose the cutting edge of the severingblade for contact of the tape therewith. As soon as the severingoperation has been effected, the spring '4'! returns'the stripper member44 and theguard 42 to their original positions shown in Fig. 1 and,thus, returns the free end of the tape against'the measuring rollerleaving a, projecting end to "be grasped by the operator.

When the tape is moved away from the measuring roller and against thesevering member, the drawing of an additional supply from the supplyroll is resisted only by the adherence of one layer of tape to the nextupon the supply 1-011 and, therefore, any light pull upon the tape willdispense an additional quantity if a "low tack tape is being used. Toprevent this occurrence and to maintain accurate measuring of thedispensed lengths of tape, I have'provided a brake roll 50 rotatablysupported upon the casing or housing I2 so that it engages the tackysurface of the tape between the supply roll 1'5 and the measuring roller"2|. This roller is so positioned that it will be in engagement with thetacky surface of the tape at all times even when the tape is drawn awayfrom the measuring roll, as shown in Fig. 5. The engagement of the tapewith this roller will tend to resist the drawing of additional tape fromthe supply roll and also tend to hold the tape in taut condition betweenthe brake roller and the supply roll so as to tend to prevent anyturning of the latter. This will, therefore, prevent any additionallength of tape being drawn from the supply r011 during the severingoperation.

A drag or friction is placed upon the brake roll by means of a spring 5|set in a cup or counterbore 52 in the roller 50 and held in place by thescrew 53 upon which this roller is rotatably mounted. The effectivestrength of the spring may be adjusted by the nut 55 on the screw 53 sothat the desired friction may be placed upon this roll in order that itwill tend to remain in the position to which is turned, and, thus, keepthe tape in taut condition between it and the supply roll.

A modified form of my invention is shown in Fig. 6. In dispensing anextremely low tack tape it sometimes occurs that the brake roll 58 maynot be conveniently set in a position in which there will be asufiicient area of contact between the roll and the tacky side of thetape when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 5. Also in dealingwith a high tack tape it is sometimes desirable not to employ the brakeroll 50, and it is, therefore, convenient to provide a dispensingmechanism in which this roll may or may not be employed, as desired.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings, I have shown a structure wherein the wrapabout the brake roll may be increased so that there will always be aconsiderable area of contact of the tacky side of the tape with thisroll and, in addition, the brake roll may not be employed if it is notconsidered necessary. As shown in this figure, a brake roll 56 isprovided which is similar in all respects to the brake roll 50 exceptthat it is mounted at a different position in the casing. It will benoted that the axis of the roll 50 is considerably above a line joiningthe centers of the supply roll [5 and the measuring roller 2!, while thecenter of the roll 55 is substantially on, and the periphery, at itslower point, somewhat below, this line, as shown in Fig. 6.

As the tape 20 comes from the supply roll l5 it would normally be heldout of engagement with the brake roll 55, as shown in dotted lines, sothat if desired when a tape of high tack is being dispensed, the brakeroll need not be employed and the device will be used as though no brakeroll were provided. However, an idler roll 5'! is provided below theroll 55 about which the tape may be trained to change the directionthereof and increase the wrap about the roll 56 so that there will beconsiderable area of tape in contact with the latter roll. It will benoted that the roll 51 engages the non-tacky side of the tape so that itWill offer no resistance to the drawing of the tape from the supplyroll, but merely change the direction thereof to increase the area ofthe tape in contact with the brake roll 56 and, therefore, prevent thetape from being inadvertently drawn from the supply roll during themeasuring operation.

It will be understood that both rolls 56 and 51 may be provided withsprings 51, as shown in connection with the roll 50 of Fig. 5**, so thatthe desired friction or drag may be placed upon these rolls.

While I have shown and described'a preferred embodiment of my invention,it will be understood that it is not to be limited to all of the detailsshown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit ofthe invention and within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a mechanism for dispensing tape which is tacky upon one surface, asuitably supported casing, means thereon for supporting a supply roll oftape, a measuring roller rotatably mounted in the casing in engagementwith the tacky surface of the tape adjacent the free end thereof to berotated by the tape as it comes from the supply roll, a severing membermounted in spaced relation to the surface of said roller on the oppositeside of the tape and in such position relatively to the supply roll andsaid roller that said severing member and said roller define the limitsof the path of the tape as it is drawn from the supply roll and must bemoved away from the roller to be engaged with the severing member, and abrake roller rotatably mounted in the casing between said first rollerand the supply roll and said brake roller being so located that itssurface is engaged by the tape in its passage from the supply roll tothe severing member as it is drawn over the latter.

2. In a mechanism for dispensing tape which is tacky upon one surface, asuitably supported casing, means thereon for supporting a supply roll oftape, a measuring roller rotatably mounted in the casing in engagementwith the tacky surface of the tape adjacent the free end thereof to berotated by the tape as it comes from the supply roll, a severing membermounted in spaced relation to the surface of said roller on the oppositeside of the tape and in such position relatively to the supply roll andsaid roller that said severing member and said roller define the limitsof the path of the tape as it is drawn from the supply roll and must bemoved away from the roller to be engaged with the severing member, abrake roller rotatably mounted in the casing between said first rollerand the supply roll, said brake roller being so located that its surfaceis engaged by the tape in its passage from the supply roll to thesevering member as it is drawn over the latter, and a stripper member inengagement with the nontacky side of the tape to strip the latter fromthe severing member and move it into engagement with the first-namedroller.

3. In a mechanism for dispensing tape which is tacky upon one surface, asuitably supported casing, means thereon for supporting a supply roll oftape, a measuring roller rotatably mounted in the casing with which thetacky side of the tape is in engagement as it comes from the roll,measuring means connected to said roller, spring means urging saidroller in a direction opposite to that of the movement of the tape, asevering member mounted in spaced relation to said roller and in suchposition relatively to the supply roll and to the measuring roller thatthe tape must be moved out of engagement with the measuring roller to besevered upon the severing member, and a brake roller mounted in thecasing in position to engage the tacky side of the tape when the latteris moved from the measuring roller to the severing member.

4. A tape-dispensing mechanism according to claim 1 wherein means areprovided to increase the wrap of the tape about said brake roller.

5. A tape-dispensing mechanism as in claim 1 wherein an idler roll isprovided to fin age the nonetaclcy side of the tape to direct the latternt en en w hseid b a olle .6 A tape-dispensing mechanism as in claim 2wherein a guide roller :is rotatably mounted in the casing in positionto engage the non-tacky side of the tape and guide the latter into.engagement with the brake roller.

7. A tape-dispensing mechanism as in claim 1 havi a u d roller .rq eb td i the casing in position to engage the non-tacky side of the tape andguide the latter into engagement with said brake roller, and also hav- 8ing means for frietionally retarding the rot tion of the brake rollerand the guide roller.

JOHN W. ALDRICH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName "Date 193,592 Barker July 31, 1877 1,244,708 Crowell Oct. 30, 19172,233,361 Anderson et a1. Feb. 25, 1941 2,424,488 Morin July 22', 194'!2,447,145 Van Cleef Aug. 17, 1948 2,547,583 Krueger Apr. 3, '19512,553,658 Larson May 22, 1951

